Centrifugal dryers are used in a range of industries for separation of solids and liquids. Centrifugal dryers in the oilfield industry may additionally be used for cleaning and drying of solids. Centrifugal dryers may rotate about a central longitudinal axis, generating a force that causes the solids to move radially-outward and contact a screen. The liquid may pass through the screen and be separated from the solids by flowing radially-outward through the screen.
In the oilfield industry, a downhole tool may be run into a wellbore. The downhole tool may include a mud motor and a drill bit. To drill the wellbore to greater depths, a drilling fluid may be pumped through the downhole tool from a surface location. The drilling fluid may flow through the mud motor in the downhole tool, which may cause the mud motor to rotate the drill bit. Rotation of the drill bit may dislodge cuttings from the surrounding formation, and the drilling fluid and the cuttings may flow back up to the surface through an annulus formed between the downhole tool and a wall of the wellbore.
Once the cuttings reach the surface, the cuttings may be introduced to a shaker, which may remove a portion of the liquid (e.g., drilling fluid, water, hydrocarbons) from the cuttings. The now partially-dried cuttings may be introduced into the centrifugal dryer. The dryer may rotate about a central longitudinal axis. This may generate a centrifugal force that causes the cuttings to move radially-outward where the cuttings contact a frustoconical screen. An additional portion of the liquid may be separated from the cuttings by flowing radially-outward through the screen.
Oftentimes, the cuttings may clog the openings in the screen. To clean the screen, the dryer may be shut down, and an operator may open a door of the dryer, reach in, and manually separate the cuttings from the screen.